


His Eyes

by Zoe13



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: College!AU, F/M, M/M, coffeeshop!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:20:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoe13/pseuds/Zoe13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn is an art major who falls in love with a blue paint and sets out to find a match for it so he can use it. When he finally finds a match, he gets more than he was originally searching for. </p><p>Or, Ziall au where Zayn finds Niall is sort of his missing inspiration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New fic! Yay!

Zayn stared at the paint bottle, unscrewing the lid and gazing into the small plastic containter. 

He had always loved blue, but this was an amazing shade of it. He had never seen anything like it and it took his breath away. Looking at the size of the small bottle, he grabbed the rest on the shelf and bought them, heading swiftly home. 

He immediately went to his canvas, sitting down and uncapping a bottle of the blue. But what could he do with it? Whatever he did with it had to be amazing. He hadn't sold a painting in months, and he felt like this would be a great one. But what to paint? It couldn't be just anything- it had to perfect. He unscrewed the lid again and looked into it. The blue seemed to be swirling- first it was an ocean, then it was a sky, then it was ice. It was like multiple emotions flowing through a single paint. 

The door on the left shut and he turned. 

"Hey Li." It was his roommate, Liam. The two had shared a room in the college dorms for a half a year since they'd both started college. Zayn was an art major with an English minor, and Liam was studying architecture. Zayn had sold a few paintings during his stay at the university, and Liam was encouraging about his art. 

"Hey Zayn. Did you get your paints?" Liam set down his bag and flopped into a chair, facing Zayn and the empty canvas. 

"Yeah," Zayn breathed. "Look." He handed Liam the open blue.

Liam stared into it curiously. "That's beautiful. what are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know!" Zayn wailed. Liam looked taken aback. 

"I'm...sorry?"

"It's just that I haven't sold a painting in a while and this blue paint is so beautiful that this one has to be perfect," Zayn explained, groaning. "I just don't know what to do. I need inspiration."

"Maybe we should go to that party tonight," Liam suggested, handing back the paint. Zayn took it, smirking.

"Will Danielle be there?" 

Liam stood and smacked his arm softly before heading to the fridge. "Maybe..." 

"Aw...are you gonna ask her out this time?"

Liam yanked his head out of the fridge, face red. "Maybe..."

"Wait, really?" Zayn threw back his head and laughed. "Nice."

"Stop making fun of me and help me out!" It was Liam's turn to wail. He flopped down- on the floor this time- and closed his eyes. 

"I haven't asked many girls out, you know," Zayn joked. "But I can tell you about when I asked guys out if you want..."

"Whatever helps," Liam groaned from the floor.

"Well, you've got the bashful part down, and if I'm thinking of the same Danielle, she'll think it's adorable. Just make it straightforward- go up and ask."

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I think she might even punch you for not asking before." Zayn chuckled.

"Oh, I hope not...she punches hard." Liam ignored Zayn's raised eyebrow. "Anyway, thanks man."

"No problem. And sure- let's go to that party."  
__

Turning swiftly, Zayn stared at the campus book store's door. It was a beautiful blue, but just a tad off. Scowling, he hurried after Liam and Danielle, who'd left him behind.

He'd found so many things that were barely off. But it had to be perfect. At the party two weeks ago, a girl's dress had been a shade too dark. At the mall a boy's shoes had been a shade too light. The sky had disappointed him twice, as had the shirt Danielle had worn a week ago. (He'd had to explain to Liam why he was staring at his girlfriend...he never wanted to have that conversation again.) Another girl's hair had sent him into a panic attack until he got closer and it just wasn't right.

Liam smiled sympathetically at him as he caught up. "No luck?"

"Too dark," Zayn griped. Danielle patted him on the shoulder.

"It can't be the only thing that exact shade. You'll find something soon." Her confidence reassured Zayn and he decided Danielle was his favorite person for the next five minutes. 

"Thanks Dani." 

"Hey, let's grab a coffee," Liam suggested, gesturing to the small coffee shop on campus. His companions shrugged and they went in. 

The boy behind the counter waved and Zayn smiled. He was gorgeous- Zayn had to admit that. His blonde hair was obviously bleached, but it worked very well. He was slim and fair, but his skin almost had a golden glow to it. As Zayn neared the counter, he stopped. 

Oh. His eyes.

They were the exact shade- there was no doubt about it. It was perfect. He felt frozen, looking at the boy's eyes. Liam pulled him forward and he walked mindlessly until he hit something and went down, something soft hitting his face and something wet pouring down his front. He snapped back to real life, examing the situation. 

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. He'd crashed into a boy and been covered in hot coffee and muffin. The boy smiled bemusedly at him and took Zayn's offered hand, using it to stand. 

"It's alright- none of it got on me." He smiled impishly. He had feathery brown hair and glittering blue eyes full of mischief. He was slender, and had the air of a pixie, almost. Zayn would have compared him to Peter Pan. 

Suddenly some napkins intruded on his vision. Zayn stared dumbly at then before taking them. 

"Thanks," he said, wiping at his pants. Then he noticed Liam and Danielle were standing to the side. "You two go ahead," he told them. "I'm gonna get cleaned up." 

"You alright?" a voice asked. He turned to see the boy with the perfect eyes staring at him quizzically, with his head cocked to the side. So he was Irish. Zayn thought he was going to melt.

"Yeah, thanks." He smiled and turned to the other boy. "Let me buy you some more coffee," he offered. 

"I've got a boyfriend already," the other boy teased. Zayn shook his head smiling. 

"I didn't mean it like that," he said. The boy smiled.

"I know. I'm kidding. Well, actually I'm Louis." He held out his hand and the boy with the eyes that Zayn tried not to look at laughed. 

"I'm Zayn. Nice to meet you." Zayn shook his hand. 

"You know what? I think we should be friends." 

Zayn was taken aback. "Uh...sure."

"Louis!" the other boy laughed. "What did I say about being so forward?"

"Aw, come on, Niall. He's being so nice. 'Sides, he's cute."

Zayn turned red. "Uh. Okay. Anyway, why not? I've been here six months but I've only met Liam, my roommate."

"What are you studying?"

"Art and English." Zayn went up to the counter and made his order, along with Louis' which said boy provided the name of. Niall rang it up. 

"Hey, I'm off in five. Could I come sit with you, Lou?" Niall asked. Louis turned to Zayn. 

"Is that fine with you?"

"Sure," Zayn shrugged, taking his coffee and following Louis to a table. 

"So tell me more about yourself," Louis said, sipping his coffee. Zayn wracked his brain. 

"Well, I'm usually the guy people don't talk to because I'm rather... wordy? I don't know how to explain it. But I'm sort of awkward and artistic, you know?"

"Oh, you'd love Hazza. He's my boyfriend. He works at a bakery, but he's very artistic. I know it sounds weird, being artistic with food, but he is."

"What about you, what do you do?" Zayn asked. 

Louis grinned "I'm studying drama."

Zayn choked.

"What?" Louis demanded.

"It just suits you." Zayn smiled. 

Louis' face suddenly turned very mischievous. "So...when you crashed into me."

"Damn." Zayn tried to hide behind his coffee cup.

"You were staring at Niaaaall," Louis sang, and Zayn groaned.

"Here, let me explain." He pulled a paint container out of his bag. "I found this paint several weeks ago and haven't been able to find the same blue in something else." He handed it to Louis, who unscrewed the lid and looked into it. He whistled.

"That's the exact same blue as-"

"His eyes. Yeah. I've been looking for it for weeks. And I'm sorry about knocking you over, by the way."

"It's alright." Louis brushed it off. "Are you gonna go home and paint Ni's eyes?" 

Zayn turned red. "I don't know..."

Louis leaned in. "It's alright, I won't tell," he assured him, winking. Someone sat down on Zayn's right, and he turned to see Niall smiling at him. 

"Hey, I'm Niall." He shook Zayn's hand and Zayn introduced himself.

"Zayn and I were just talking about majors," Louis said innocently. "He's an artist."

"What about you? What do you do?" Zayn asked Niall, trying to shift the attention. 

"Music," he said, tapping a guitar case by him that Zayn hadn't noticed he'd set there.

"Sweet. I love music." He was interrupted by his phone buzzing. 

'r u ok?' it was Liam. 

'Yeah. Met some people, go on without me. I'll seeya later.' Zayn texted back. He looked up to see Louis and Niall looking at him. 

"Sorry, just my friend. He came with his girlfriend and I told him he could leave without me. Felt like a bit of a third wheel or something." He grinned at the pair. 

"I know exactly what you mean!" Niall exclaimed. "Haz and Lou drag me around but it's so awkward sometimes. Hey!" He jumped as Louis pinched him. 

"So what are you planning on doing with music?" Zayn asked Niall. 

"I want to be a singer. I know it's lame, but it's been my dream for so long..."

"I'm sure you're great," Zayn said truthfully. Niall looked down at his guitar.

"I'm alright, I guess," he said, shrugging. Louis spit out his drink and sheepishly began wiping the table.

"You rotten liar!" he exclaimed, jabbing Niall in the side. "He's amazing," he said to Zayn. "He plays at restaurants and pubs sometimes and people always dump money on him if he plays outside." 

Niall was beet red. "They just like my covers."

"Bullshit," Louis scoffed. "They like your songs the best."

"You write songs?" Zayn was beginning to wonder if Niall was an angel because he seemed so perfect. 

"A bit. They're not very good." 

Louis tried to subtely kick him under the table, but he missed and hit Zayn in the shins instead.

"Ouch." Zayn grimaced.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Shit. I have to go." Zayn stood and grabbed his bag.

"Here, write down your phone number," Louis said, handing him a pen and his receipt. "We should all meet up sometime, and you can meet Haz." Zayn scribbled down his number and handed it to Louis.

"Alright! See you!" 

The last thing he saw as he turned back were Niall's perfectly blue eyes smiling at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. Enjoy!

Zayn began to frequent the coffeeshop, often seeing Louis and Niall there. Sometimes the three would have coffee together and Zayn would try to subtly study Niall's eyes. 

He tried to think of it in a light that would make it seem a little less creepy, and reassured himself that it was for art- but he couldn't deny that he found Niall extremely intriguing. He was even more beautiful up close, and his laugh was one of the most amazing sounds Zayn had ever heard. Niall was kind, thoughtful, and mischievous. He was happy all the time and definitely the life of any party, but he knew when to be quiet, and Zayn found that he was very observant. 

He discovered that they had the same English class and figured that he hadn't seen Niall because of the class' size. Often the two would sit together and try to hold back childish giggles as the professor talked. Zayn couldn't help it- he always got drawn out of his shell when he was with Niall. 

As to the drawing, he didn't mind that it was progressing slowly. For the first time, he was truly having fun. Liam was fantastic, but there was just something about Niall that made you want to be insane. He would sit in the coffee shop and find himself smiling as the blonde danced around behind the counter or joked with a customer. It sort of became a routine; he would sketch Niall's eyes and work on perfecting their shape and his lashes, and he would frequently catch himself looking up when Niall's laugh rang out or his voice spoke up. 

He'd met Harry and Liam had met Niall and Louis and Harry (he now thought of him as 'Haz' too) and they got along splendidly. Harry was a laid-back lad, and spoke slowly, as opposed to Louis' highstrung, hyperactive personality and smooth voice. The two were a great match, and Louis frequently bragged about it, much to the amamusement of the others. Despite what some people thought, Liam really was insane too, and so he fit right in and made a great impression on the others, sometimes dragging Danielle into their group with her friend Eleanor.

It was several more weeks before Zayn began his painting. He'd looked at the paints again and become inspired- so much so that he declined an invitation to a party and sat in the silence of the dorm-room alone, gazing at the empty canvas. 

Finally he coated his brush and set to work. Swirls this way, dabs that way, and he was lost in it. He added bits of other shades to add to the effect, but the main color was the original blue. For hours he painted, every little speck painstakingly added to the painting. Liam came and went to bed, knowing not to bother Zayn. This one had to be perfect. 

And when he went to bed at 5:07, he felt like it was.  
__

"So Liam said you finished a painting the other day," Niall commented around his muffin.

"Yeah. Actually sort of like it. Maybe that sounds arrogant, I don't know. But I had this amazing blue..."

Louis coughed. "Yes, I saw it. It was wonderful. Ahem."

Zayn kicked him under the table, smiling at Niall.

"So...have you shown your professor?" Niall asked.

"Yeah, he loved it. He knows a guy who owns an art gallery and has sold some of my paintings and wanted to sell it, but I said not yet. I wanna keep it around a bit." 

Niall nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that. I haven't seen any of your art, though."

"And I haven't heard you sing," Zayn teased. Niall grinned. 

"I'll drag you to one of his gigs," Louis promised, before squawking in surprise as Harry flopped into the chair by him. 

"Hey, love," Harry greeted, snickering at his ruffled boyfriend. 

"How's drama going?" Zayn asked Louis after he had finished with his and Haz's hello snog. 

"Fantastic! I absolutely love drama." Louis' enthusiasm spread to Harry, who leaned forward, eyes dancing.

"I've decided I'm going to have my own bakery someday."

"And I'll live with him in the house above it. I'll watch him bake during the day and he'll watch me act at night." Louis sighed dreamily and Niall laughed. 

"Bunch of sops, you are," he said, eyes twinkling. Zayn began to feel like his painting didn't do them justice, but he still liked it. It's image was imprinted in his mind. 

Maybe he'd show it to Niall sometime.  
__

The weather was starting to warm up a bit, and Zayn stretched out his cramped body and went for a walk. After the painting he'd had some of the blue paint left, and he'd unashamedly gone back and bought even more, now having in his possession an art box full of solely that one blue paint. He began to use it in his abstract paintings, finding that it always stuck out to him, no matter how small an amount there was of it in a painting. 

It wasn't until he sold his sixth painting that he realized the blue paint wasn't his inspiration-

Niall was. 

With or without the blue, his paintings sold. They had become less drastic and depressing and...not really cheerful, but with a little lift of hope. Exactly how Niall had made him- happy. 

Mid-thought, he stopped short on the path at the park, ears straining. Someone was playing a guitar, and he walked forward to investigate. Going around some trees, he found Niall sitting on a bench, guitar in his lap. On his left lay a notebook and his guitar case was leaning against the bench legs. As he opened his mouth and sang, Zayn felt himself stop completely. He wanted to paint that sound- that wonderful, perfect sound. He was amazing, truly amazing. Louis had been right. 

The blonde looked up, smiled at him, and continued playing, a soft look in his eyes. It felt like centuries but also a mere second before he was finished, smiling at Zayn again, but this time almost hesitantly. 

Zayn sat by him. "That was amazing."

"Thanks." Niall turned completely red and Zayn laughed to himself. 

"No, really. You're fantastic, and you can definitely tell that you love it."

"I do. It's sort of all that I'm any good at." He smiled down at his guitar fondly. 

"I doubt that, but even if it's true, your music is more than good enough alone."

Niall looked at him gratefully. "Thanks. I appreciate the encouragment- it can get a little discouraging at times."

"No problem. Would you play more, actually?"

"I'd love to, of you really want to hear." Niall looked at Zayn and Zayn nodded quickly. 

"Yeah, I want to hear."

Late that night, Niall had to go and Zayn headed back to the dorms. He was stiff from sitting on the bench too long, but he still sat in front of a new, empty canvass and painted sound as best he could. 

More specifically Niall's voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember- review!! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give you a new chapter!! I'm so sorry it took so long. I suddenly got into Teen Wolf (sounds lame-o, I know, but Stiles!) and started shipping Sterek and it's gotten me really busy reading fanfiction, hehe. 
> 
> Anyway, here you go.

"It's amazing," Liam said, and Zayn detected a hint of almost awe in his voice as he stared at the painting. "What is it?"

"Um." Zayn didn't quite know how to tell his roommate that he'd been painting Niall Horan's voice, especially with such obvious emotion. "It's someone's voice."

Liam smiled almost mischievously. "Aw...Zaynie's found his match?"

"No!" Zayn exclaimed defensively. "He just has an amazing voice."

"Zayn, look at your painting. There's no way you're not at least half in love with whoever it's representing."

Well, shit. 

"I- well I..." Zayn trailed off, at a loss for words. His eyes were wide as he turned back to Liam. "Holy shit, you're right. I had no idea..."

Liam smiled sympathetically at him as he sat on a chair. "That's me, the smart one."

"I barely know him!" Zayn wailed. "How am I supposed to- but I am." Groaning, he drained his cup of coffee and glared at the bottom of the mug as if it held the answer. 

"Look Zayn, it's not a bad thing. Just take it slow, give yourself time to adjust to it, okay? You remember how Haz and Lou met, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And they were basically in love at first sight."

"But that's Haz and Lou!" Zayn protested. "They are the epitome of rule breaking."

"There isn't a rule to love, Zayn. Relax, continue doing whatever it is you do, and get to know this person better. Maybe they feel the same." Liam set his own mug if coffee in the sink and left, leaving Zayn to smack himself in the face. 

He was in love with Niall Horan?  
__

"Zaynie!" Niall greeted, waving the older boy over. Zayn sat down, nodding at Louis.

"Are you off work now?" Zayn asked. 

Niall nodded, chewing on a donut almost thoughtfully. "We should do something. Like go to the zoo or see a movie."

Louis cackled. "Who?"

"All of us," Niall elaborated, shooting a glare at the oldest boy. Louis started whistling innocently, and Zayn raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Friday!"

"One of my paintings is actually going to be at a gallery on Friday, and I sort of wanted to be there..." Zayn trailed off. 

"Seriously? That's awesome!" Niall beamed. "I want to go! Text me the time and where it is, will you? I would love to see it."

"Sure..." Zayn found himself saying, cringing inwardly. 

"I have a gig on Thursday," Niall said. "You could come to that."

"Okay." Zayn nodded, smiling. "Text me the details too."

"Okay!" Louis interrupted. "It will have to be Tuesday, because Wednesday I'm busy with Haz."

"Well, today's Monday, so let's make it tomorrow afternoon," Niall suggested. 

"What are we doing exactly?" Zayn asked bemusedly. 

"I don't know." Niall wrinkled up his nose in confusion, and Zayn almost cooed. 

Oh shit. Zayn didn't coo. He wasn't a bloody pigeon! And Niall wasn't cute! Okay, maybe that last one was the biggest load of bullshit that anyone had ever thought, but-

"Zayn!" Louis waved a hand in his face. "We're gonna do a picnic."

"A picnic."

"Yeah," Niall said defensively. "I'll bring my guitar and we can sing and eat dinner at the park and it'll be amazing."

"Sounds great," Zayn said, standing. "I've got to get to class now, see you later."

"Wait!" Louis scrambled to grab his bag. "I've got class in the same building. I'll walk with you."

They left the coffee shop and Louis fell into step beside Zayn. 

"You two are so cute," he said. 

Zayn snorted. "You did not just include me and the word cute in the same sentence."

"It's only when you're around Niall," Louis explained, smirking. "You just get so damn sentimental and there are practically little hearts flying out of your eyes and popping over his head."

Zayn let out an incredulous (but very manly) squawk at that, and Louis cackled. 

"I do not!" Zayn protested. "I just..."

"Stare at him lovingly? Think about him all the time?" Louis's smirk grew in proportions. "I can list all of the sickeningly lovey-dovey stuff you do and/or want to ddo with him."

"I do not," Zayn declared. "That's ridiculous."

Louis snorted in disbelief and Zayn decided silence was his best option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, tell me what you think, whether it's good or bad.


	4. Chapter 4

Zayn caught himself smiling fondly as Niall threw his head back, laughter bursting from his lips at another of Louis' antics. The normally pale boy quickly turned bright red as he gasped for air. Liam patted him on the back when he choked. 

"You're gonna kill me someday, Lou," he said finally, when he could talk. Louis just grinned. 

"Did you bring your guitar?" Harry asked Niall. Niall nodded. 

"She's over there," he said, pointing to the guitar case by the picnic basket. Louis got up and dragged it over and Niall opened the case almost reverently, long fingers lightly touching the wood of the instrument. Pulling it into his lap, he began playing. 

"Really Niall?" Louis burst out laughing and Harry smiled. "As Long As You Love Me?"

"I kinda like that song," Zayn admitted, though he refused to let them know he'd only looked it up because Niall loved it so much. Louis opened his mouth to argue, but Niall started singing and immediately they all fell silent. As he sang the first verse, Zayn felt like talking would be desecration. As Niall reached the chorus, however, he felt the sudden urge to join in, so he did. 

Their voices blended into the air as a few people stopped on their way through the park, listening. Niall fell silent on the second verse, letting Zayn sing, before they sang together again. Zayn hadn't known people could sound so right together, but they did. 

As the song ended, the passersby seemed to waken from a stupor and walked on without a word. For once in his life, Louis seemed shocked. 

"You guys sound amazing together." Liam told them. Harry nodded. 

"I didn't even know you could sing, Zayn. It was perfect," he said. "Better than the original." 

"Oi!" Niall protested, glaring. Zayn laughed, feeling suddenly carefree. 

"I should do a gig with you sometime," he joked. Niall lit up. 

"Yes! You should do it with me next week! We could do As Long As You Love Me...I love that one." He smiled almost dreamily and Louis broke from his dazed state and burst out laughing. Niall glared, but there was no heat in it.

"We'd better head out," Haz said, tugging on Louis' arm. "I have to go see Lou's sisters."

"They adore him," Louis bragged as Harry dragged him away. 

Liam stood also. "Are you two alright cleaning up? 'Cause I have to meet with Danielle."

"Sure." Niall flopped a hand in Liam's direction. "We're fine." 

With a last smile, Liam left, and Zayn was alone with Niall. 

"What's up, Zaynie?" Niall asked, strumming his guitar absently as he moved closer to the older boy. Zayn swallowed his sudden nervousness and smiled. 

"Not much. Just thinking about my paintings."

"Oh! I'm excited to see them!" Niall beamed, twisting a bit and leaning his back onto Zayn's shoulder. Heat seemed to flare through Zayn, but it was the kind thar felt cozy and just plain right, no matter what the weather. 

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous. I haven't been inspired enough to paint in a while, so..." Zayn sighed. "I hope people like them."

"They'd be stupid not to." Niall slid down and laid his head on Zayn's lap, pulling the guitar up so he could pluck the strings softly. 

"Ho-how do you know?" Zayn managed, trying to hide his blushing face. The younger boy smiled up at him and Zayn suddenly felt that Mona Lisa's mysterious smile was shit and had nothing on Niall's. 

"The way you talk about it. Someone that passionate can't be bad at it. It's something you feel you were born to do; and I can feel it too, that you're fantastic. It's a part of you. So I just know that you are amazing at it."

"Why? If it's part of me, then what makes it amazing?"

"Why, the fact that you're amazing, Zayn." Niall's smile was less mysterious and more soft, and Zayn had to battle the urge to lean down and kiss him harder than he'd had to in all the past weeks put together. 

"Uhm, we should go." 

"Yeah. But we won't, will we. Not for a while." Niall's eyes twinkled and Zayn smiled.

"No, I suppose we won't," he said.  
__

Zayn hadn't seen Niall for more than a few moments since the picnic, and he felt nervous as he sat in the pub with Louis, Harry, Liam, and Danielle. There were too many people in the place for the amount of space, and Zayn suddenly felt even more thankful than usual that he wasn't claustrophobic. 

Whenever he heard Niall's voice, it seemed like the sound carried him off, and so as soon as Niall began singing, Zayn lost track of time. 

When it ended, he couldn't remember a single song Niall had sung. He just remembered the sound and the look on the blonde's face. For Niall, it was a dream come true. 

Zayn hung around the back, waiting for Niall to come out. Louis had given Niall a ride, but had dragged Harry off, begging Zayn to drive Niall back- a request which Zayn was happy to acquiesce. 

Finally the familiar shock of blonde hair strode past the window and Niall reached the door a moment later, stepping out and closing it behind him, carefully swinging his guitar case around various objects. 

"Louis asked me to drive you," Zayn explained, motioning for Niall to follow him to his car. Niall followed silently, smiling back at him. "He went off with Haz."

"Oh, I see." Niall grinned impishly, swinging his guitar into the trunk Zayn had just opened and helping him slam it shut. "They needed a bit of quality Larry time. Well, who am I to stand in the way but a mere mortal?"

"'Larry?'" Zayn questioned. Niall laughed, opening the passenger side door to the car and sliding in. Zayn got in the other side and started up the car. 

"Louis and Harry's names combined. Larry."

"Wow." Zayn grinned. "Is that what you do when you're bored?"

"Of course. I come up with ship names for people that are together, or should be."

"So what are Danielle and Liam called?"

"They were a hard one," Niall admitted. "I finally settled on Payzer."

"I see," Zayn said, battling a straight face. Niall lost it first, however, and that sent Zayn into a laughing fit as he swerved to avoid a car. 

"It's ridiculous, isn't it," Niall gasped, laughing. 

"Yeah, it really is," Zayn snickered. "I'm so glad you don't ship me with anyone."

"Right," Niall said, but he sounded off and his ears were plainly red as he turned to look out the window.   
Zayn raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. 

Niall turned the radio on, then, and they sang as loudly as they wanted, both feeling unusually comfortable around the other.


	5. Chapter 5

Zayn felt ridiculous. Just because he'd painted Niall's voice and then his eyes didn't mean that he was going to know what they were. Besides, even if he did, Zayn could easily explain that blue color...and...  
Yeah, he was screwed. Basically, he needed to keep Niall- and preferably the other boys- from realizing what the paintings were. 

"Zayn, the doors are opened," his teacher told him, and Zayn swallowed. People began to saunter in, and he fought the urge to run and hide. 

"Zayn!" Louis ran up to him, dragging Harry behind him. "Let's see your paintings!" 

"Nah, let's wait for Niall and Liam," Harry said. Louis pouted. 

"Fine," he said. "Hey, are you alright, Zayn? You're looking kind of pale."

"Uh...yeah. Just nervous. I haven't displayed a painting in a few months, and now I've got two here," Zayn lied, shifting from foot to foot. 

"Oi!" Niall's voice called. He stood next to Zayn, before waving Liam over. Danielle had come with Liam, and she waved at the four other boys. 

"Alright," Liam grinned. "Let's see your masterpieces. Trust me, guys, they're amazing." 

"Uh..." Zayn said intelligently. "They're this way." Trying not to fall over, Zayn stumbled his way over to the right of the room, weaving around paintings and chatting people. The four boys and Danielle followed close behind. 

The two paintings were still covered in cloths, and a few people stood around, waiting to see them. Zayn went over to them and took a cloth in each hand, closing his eyes and pulling them off in one swift motion. A few ill-concealed gasps went around the room, and more people turned, coming over. Zayn didn't notice, however. He was watching Niall. 

The boy was standing there, staring. Liam, Harry, and Louis were all watching Zayn knowingly, and he cringed. 

"Zayn, they're- they're beautiful," Niall said softly. The three other boys backed away to let them talk quietly, and Zayn cringed again at their lack of subtlety. Niall walked forward, unaware of the crowd, and reached a hand out toward the music painting. It was labeled "Voice of an Angel," and Zayn realized that he knew. Zayn out his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. He was suddenly glad he'd done it, even if Niall knew he loved him. 

Niall turned to look at him, and Zayn realized that there were tears in his eyes. 

"They're beautiful," he repeated. 

"So are you," Zayn said, forgetting about the people all around, watching the scene unfold. Niall laughed slightly. 

"How long?" He asked. 

"Since we first met-" Zayn was cut off as Niall launched himself at him, throwing his arms around him and kissing him. Zayn vaguely heard Louis let out a cheer and people started clapping, but he was too busy to care. He was kissing Niall. 

Niall pulled back and turned red as he suddenly noticed their rather large audience. Smiling shyly at Zayn, he grabbed his hand and pulled him away. 

"Where are we going?" Zayn asked him, as he let the younger boy pull him from the room. 

"Would you sing with me?" Niall asked, and Zayn knew what he meant.

"Yes," he said, "forever."

**Author's Note:**

> Please, tell me what you think and leave any criticisms/praises/suggestions/whatever. 
> 
> -Zoe xx


End file.
